Package of Secrets
by cuz-CM's-awesome
Summary: Penelope receives a strange package, that's contents lead to a most disturbing mystery. What will the team do in order to get to the bottom of it? Will eventually be Morgan/Garcia
1. The Package

**I don't own Criminal Minds, and I'm in no way making any profit off of this story. **

**Summary: Penelope receives a strange package, that's contents lead to a most disturbing mystery. What will the team do in order to get to the bottom of it? Will eventually be Morgan/Garcia. **

**Please R&R **

**Enjoy! **

…

"You two want to go out for drinks tonight, have a girl's night out?" Prentiss asked as she sat down at her desk and took a sip of her coffee.

"As long as we don't get called away on another case" J.J. said.

"Drinks sound good," Penelope agreed "I swear it feels like we haven't been for a girl's night out for like a month."

"Girls night out?" Derek asked walking over to the cluster of desks and placing his freshly made coffee down on his own desk, "You mean you're not going to invite me?"

"Sorry Hot Stuff," Penelope said "it wouldn't be a girl's night if you were there."

Derek pouted teasingly and Penelope gave his shoulder a light punch.

"Garcia?"

Penelope turned around and saw Hotch walking towards them.

"Yes Sir?" she asked.

Hotch stopped when he was a few feet away and handed her some paperwork "I need you to upload this information into the system."

"Aye aye Captain," Penelope said "I'll get right on it."

Hotch gave curt nod as he watched her turn and make her way to her office and then looked over at the other team members "Everyone else, let's get back to work please."

…

Penelope had been uploading the information Hotch had given her for an hour and she still wasn't even close to being finished.

She sighed as she heard a knock on her door "Come in" she called, spinning around to face the door.

The door opened and the kid who worked in the mail room was standing there. Penelope smiled at him; he had just turned seventeen and was one of the nicest kids around. His messy blonde hair hung in front of sharp blue eyes and he had a lopsided grin on his face "Hey Penelope," he said.

"Hey Chad," Penelope said with a smile "what brings you to my lair?"

The boy held out a medium sized package that was wrapped in brown paper "This came for you this morning, I would have brought it by sooner but we had a hold up at the scanner today."

"That's alright" Penelope said taking the package, she understood about the scanner, she knew it was a good thing that the FBI didn't let just anything into the building, "How have you been Chad? Looking forward to going back to school."

Chad rolled his eyes "I'd much rather continue to work here instead of going back for my last year of high school. I mean there's no way that school could beat the excitement of working at FBI headquarters but if I ever want to become an actual agent instead of just working in the mail room, I have to go to school, plus my mom would kill me if I didn't go back."

"I know what that's like," Penelope said "I know school can seem like a bore but it really is in your best interest."

Chad shrugged "Yeah, I know."

Penelope grinned "I bet in no time we'll be seeing you back here….and it won't be to work in the mail room."

Chad smiled "I hope so."

"I know so, as long as you continue to work hard you'll make a great agent" Penelope said.

"Thanks Penelope," Chad said "you're the best."

"Oh don't I know it" Penelope said with a laugh.

"I better get back to work" Chad said, he flashed one last grin at Penelope before he turned and left.

Once Chad was gone, Penelope gently pushed her door closed and then wheeled herself back to her desk, the brown package sitting in her lap.

Penelope looked down at it, running her hand over the front, she looked at her printed name and FBI's address printed on the front, and wondered who would be sending her a package. There was no return address but Penelope conscious didn't even make that recognition as she pulled off the paper.

In her mind she didn't think it could be anything bad since the FBI went through everything they received in the mail, checking for toxicities, possible bombs or anything life threatening.

Penelope guessed it could be from one of the victims she counseled once a week. She had before gotten mail, never packages, but letters from some of the families, and they always sent them to her through her work address since Penelope never gave anyone her home address.

When Penelope had pulled off the standard, brown paper, she found herself holding a rectangular wooden box.

It had the initials P.G. carved into its front and had hinges on the side so you could open the top.

Penelope carefully opened the boxed and gasped when she saw what was inside.

It was a blonde doll, its hair in pigtails, with brown eyes and it was wearing a baby blue dress. To anyone it might have seemed like a normal child's doll, no reason to be suspicious of it but Penelope felt her heart start to beat a little faster than normal.

As she looked at the doll an image flashed in her mind of her apartment. In her living room she had shelves lining her walls and on the farthest shelf from the T.V. sat a doll, exactly like this one. It was her childhood doll; she had had it since before she could remember and kept it on that shelf because even though she was too old for dolls, she had never been able to part with it.

But what were the chances that this could actually be her doll, she was sure that there was probably hundreds of exactly the same doll circulating around America since the doll brand had been popular when she was growing up.

And of course it would still be creepy to get a doll in the mail that was designed to look like her and looked exactly like her childhood doll, but at least if it was a copy then she could safely say that no one had been in her apartment.

There was only one way to know for sure.

Penelope quickly turned the doll around in her hands, and lifted up the doll's dress. Her eyes widened and she dropped the doll back into the box as if she had been burned.

On the doll's back there was a long zigzagging scratch that marked the doll. A scratch that Penelope's doll had acquired accidentally when Penelope had been five and was playing with her.

Penelope looked closer into the box and saw a picture of a little girl around three years old with curly blonde locks.

A girl that she would know anywhere.

It was a picture of her.


	2. Informing The Team

**Don't Own **

**Please R&R **

**Enjoy! **

…

Penelope began to physically shake, her heart beating so fast that it felt like it would explode in her chest. Her breath with quick and her fingers trembled; she was really starting to panic. Her mind was running rampant with thoughts of how exactly someone had gotten her doll.

She lived alone and she was the only one with a key. How had, whoever it was, gotten into her apartment? Had she been home at the time? Why did they have a picture of her as a little girl? Were they watching her now? Was she in danger?

Penelope shook herself out of her thoughts, she shouldn't panic. She was, after all, in the middle of FBI headquarters, what place could be safer. No one could get in unless they had an ID or was escorted by someone with an ID.

"Calm down," Penelope said to herself out loud as she tried to figure out what she should do, "you should go to Hotch" she told herself.

Penelope looked down at the box that still sat in her lap. She knew she should try to touch it as little as possible because it might contain a finger print or other evidence, though that wasn't likely.

Penelope quickly grabbed the brown paper it had been wrapped in and used it to pick up the box without touching it. Then she jumped up from her chair and ran out of her office, her high heels clicking on the floor as she went.

She ran through the doors to the bullpen, almost knocking a woman over as she went. Penelope quickly apologized and then ran past the woman and up the stairs, tripping once but she quickly regained her balance.

When she got to Hotch's door she knocked three times, she had begun to sweat and her knees felt wobbly. She could feel everyone's eyes on her but she couldn't care less.

When she didn't hear a reply from Hotch to come in, she began knocking more frantically.

Finally she heard Hotch's voice, his tone harsh, calling for her to enter.

Penelope pushed the door open and practically stumbled into the room.

Hotch was sitting at his desk, his face stern, Penelope had just interrupted a very important phone call with the Director of the FBI.

Penelope moved to his desk, not noticing his tense demeanor at all. She practically dropped the package onto his desk, her panic was welling up in her again, her adrenaline was rushing and she was having trouble thinking straight.

Hotch frowned; the speech about not interrupting him while he was on the phone, that was on the tip of his tongue, left him after he took one look at her.

Her brow was damp with sweat and she looked shaken up.

"Garcia, what is it?" he asked "What's that?" he pointed to the package that now sat on his desk.

"It's…uh it's…" Penelope stuttered, before reaching out to steady herself on the chair in front of Hotch's desk, she was feeling light headed.

"Are you okay?" Hotch asked standing up.

It was all Penelope could do to shake her head.

"Here," Hotch said moving towards her "let's get you sitting down."

Hotch helped guide her into the seat.

As soon as she was sitting Penelope took a deep breath and tried to calm herself.

Hotch turned to look at the package, he reached out to take it but Penelope quickly placed a hand on his arm "Don't," she said weakly "it might need to be analyzed."

Hotch raised a brow but drew his hand back.

Penelope ran a hand over her face, trying to get her breathing and shaky hands under control. She felt sick but she knew she had to stay calm. Hotch would know what to do, he always did.

"Okay," Hotch said gently shifting so that he was crouched down beside her "just take it easy, and tell me what happened."

Penelope nodded, she bit her lip and then began to explain "I was in my office when Chad, the kid from the mailroom, came by and gave me a package that he said arrived for me this morning."

Hotch gave her a reassuring look that told her silently that he was listening intently and that she should continue.

"I thanked him and then opened the package once he had left…" Penelope took a deep breath "Inside it was a box with my initials on it and inside that there was a doll, my doll to be specific. My childhood doll that normally sits on a shelf inside my apartment, I haven't moved it in years."

Hotch frowned and his look became more intense "Are you sure that it's the same doll, not a copy perhaps?"

"No it's the same one, there's a scratch on her back that she acquired when I was playing with her outside when I was five. It's identical Hotch" Penelope stated, her voice quiet as a shiver ran down her spine.

Hotch tensed "Wait here a moment" he said.

Penelope nodded, she hoped the unit chief didn't go far because although she knew she had nothing to be afraid of while she sat in Hotch's office, she was still on edge.

Hotch walked to his still open door and walked out of his office, he noticed that as soon as he stepped out most of the eyes in the bullpen hastily looked away, expect for those belonging to the team; they looked at him worriedly.

Hotch gave them a curt nod and gestured that they make their way to his office.

They quickly complied, walking swiftly up the steps. When they got to him Hotch shook his head "We have a problem," he said "Prentiss can you go and find Rossi and then come back to my office?"

"Yes Sir," Prentiss said and then disappeared to find the older profiler.

To the rest of the group he gave them a look and then led the way into his office.

Derek was the first to break the silence "What happened Hotch?"

Hotch sighed and made his way back to Penelope "It's bad," he said.

Penelope had unconsciously curled herself into a makeshift ball in her chair.

Derek rushed to her side "Baby Girl, are you okay?" he asked as he placed a hand on her knee.

Penelope looked up at him; she bit her lip and then shook her head. Now that Derek was there she had the overwhelming urge to cry, she always got that way around him and hated it, but she knew she yearned for his comfort.

Penelope looked away from him; she looked down at her hands instead.

"Oh Penelope" he said comfortingly and folded her into his embrace. Penelope sighed and wrapped her arms around Derek too, burrowing her face into the crook of his neck.

The others just watched their display until they heard Prentiss and Rossi enter the office and close the door behind them.

Rossi quickly made his way to the group "What happened?" he asked.

Hotch pointed to the package that was still on his desk "Garcia received a disturbing package."

Derek's head shot up "What?" he asked "What is it?"

"Garcia told me that inside it she found her childhood doll that should be sitting in her apartment on a shelf but somehow ended up in that package instead" Hotch explained.

Derek detangled himself from Penelope and rose from his spot, standing up straight he asked harshly "Are you sure it's the same doll?"

"Yes" Penelope answered, her voice still a little shaky.

Derek was shaking his head "So somehow whoever sent it was able to get into her apartment without her knowing."

"It would seem so" Hotch said.

Derek clenched his fists "Was there anything else in the package?"

Hotch looked at Penelope in question.

"Yes," Penelope answered "There was a picture of me; it looks like I was around three or four in it."

"Could it have been a picture that they took from your apartment when they snatched the doll?" Reid offered.

"No," Penelope said "I've never seen the picture before in my life but I know from the pictures I do have, which are very few, that it is me."

"You're positive?" Rossi asked.

"Yes" Penelope answered.

"When's the last time you know for sure that you saw your doll on the shelf it was supposed to be on?" Rossi asked.

"Umm…I don't know" Penelope answered.

Rossi stalked over to her and stood in front of her, his hand came down to land on her shoulder "Think really hard Garcia…when's the last time you saw the doll?"

"I…" Penelope said thinking out loud, she squeezed her eyes shut as tight as she could and rifled through her memories. When was the last time she had seen the doll? A memory hit her and she held onto it, then she snapped her eyes open.

"It was two weeks ago," she said "remember how we went to that baseball game Derek?"

Derek nodded.

"Well before you came to pick me up I couldn't find my baseball hat so I searched the whole apartment for it, I found it sitting next to the doll on the shelf. That's the last time I remember for sure seeing it."

Rossi shook his head "So the Unsub had to have entered your house in the last two weeks."

Penelope shivered at the thought.

"This isn't good Hotch" Rossi said quietly "We need to get Garcia somewhere safe."

"I know," Hotch said and Penelope didn't like the edge to his voice that she could hear "I'll get right on it and in the meantime the rest of you should begin work on a profile."

Rossi nodded.

"Take Garcia with you and don't let her out of your sight, I don't know what we're dealing with yet but whatever it is, I'm not willing to take any chances" Hotch stated before sending them on their way.


	3. It Begins

**Don't Own **

**Please R&R **

**Enjoy! **

…

"Here Baby," Derek said as he paced a cup of water on the table in front of her. They had relocated from Hotch's office to the conference room.

"Thanks Handsome" Penelope said without her usual playfulness.

Derek placed a hand on her shoulder "We'll figure this out" he whispered to her.

Penelope nodded, she knew if anyone one could figure it out, it would be her team but still she couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive.

Derek gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze before removing his hand and taking a seat next to her.

Rossi, Reid, Prentiss and J.J. were already sitting.

"Okay, first things first," Rossi stated "Have you noticed anything unusual around your apartment in the last few weeks Garcia?"

Penelope bit her lip "What kinds of things?"

"Have you found things moved, or misplaced," Rossi said "anything that seems out of the ordinary?"

Penelope shook her head "No, I haven't noticed anything like that. To be honest if I hadn't received the doll in the package, I probably wouldn't have realized she was missing."

Rossi frowned and Penelope felt useless.

"That's not necessarily true," Reid began "you might believe you wouldn't notice it but our subconscious picks up things like that, even if we're not completely sure ourselves, our subconscious can tell when things are out of place."

Penelope shrugged "I really don't remember anything being out of place."

"Baby Girl," Derek began and Penelope turned to look at him "are you sure there's nothing else? Really think about it. There's nothing else in or around your apartment that seemed out of place, something that shouldn't have been there, in the last few weeks."

Derek watched as Penelope's face scrunched up in thought, she was shaking her head negatively and her frustration was clear on her face. Then suddenly she stopped and her eyes, which she had previously closed, shot open.

"What is it?" Prentiss asked and the team seemed to lean closer to her.

"Last weekend," Penelope began "my elderly neighbor Mrs. Rookwood told me that she thought she had seen a man lurking around. I visit her every weekend since she doesn't have any family and I'm always afraid she's going to hurt herself. So I just check in on her and we have tea and talk. Everyone who lives in the apartment complex thinks she's half crazy, and she's suspicious of everything since she doesn't really have anything better to do, so I didn't think anything of it when she told me."

"That could be something" Reid stated.

Rossi nodded his agreement "Did she say anything else?"

"Uh…" Penelope said rubbing her hands together in her lap "She said that he wasn't tall but not short either, he had thinning blonde hair and was wearing big, thick glasses."

"Where did she see him?" Prentiss asked.

"She said she saw him out of the window in her back bedroom, in the alleyway behind the building…" Penelope trailed off and she bit her lip, a look of fear etched itself across her face.

Derek reached out a hand and placed it on her arm "What is it Baby Girl?" he asked.

Penelope turned to look at him and visibly swallowed "Mrs. Rookwood's apartment is right next to mine, she told me that she saw him trying to look into my back bedroom…I thought she was just being paranoid. I didn't actually listen to her."

Derek moved closed to her "It's okay Penelope, you didn't know but now we do, and now we can do something about it. Don't worry about it, I know it's scary but you're safe with us."

Penelope nodded, unconsciously shifting her body closer to Derek.

"Did she say anything else?" Prentiss asked "Why didn't she call the police if she saw someone looking into your bedroom?"

"She told me that she had just gone into her bedroom to get something off of her nightstand and when she looked up she saw him," Penelope explained "so she moved around the bed to get closer to the window but when she looked out again he was gone. She even said to me that maybe her imagination had been playing tricks on her."

"Well considering the fact that this unsub somehow got into your apartment, I think it's safe to say that it probably wasn't her imagination" Prentiss said.

"Let's not jump to conclusions," Rossi stated "but we won't rule that out."

"How's the profile going?" Hotch asked and everyone turned to see him standing in the doorway.

"We don't have much information yet," Rossi said "but we've definitely ruled out Garcia going back to her apartment."

Hotch nodded "Alight, well I was just on the phone with Strauss notifying her of this development and we've set up a safe house that you'll be staying in Garcia, just until we catch this guy."

Penelope found herself nodding "Of course," she stated "but um…can I go back to my apartment just to pick up some stuff first?"

Hotch looked reluctant and Penelope found herself crossing her fingers.

"Please Sir, I'll be in and out quicker than you can say relocation, I just don't want to be placed somewhere for who knows how long without any of my things" Penelope explained.

"We have to go there anyway Hotch," Derek said "to figure out how the unsub got in; we'll be there to protect her."

"Alright," Hotch finally agreed "but a quick in and out, I don't want to linger."

"Right" Derek agreed.

"Let's go then" Hotch said.

The team nodded and got up from their places at the table.

"I've had the package sent over to the lab, we'll know if there are any prints or evidence on it in a couple of hours" Hotch said as he walked out the door, the team following behind him. "I'll notify the agents that are putting together the safe house and tell them that we will be an hour or two, that will give them time to stalk the safe house with groceries and such…"

Penelope had been listening intently to what Hotch was saying as she and Derek, who were the last two to leave the room, followed the group. Penelope stopped in her tracks as a memory hit her "Groceries…" she half whispered to herself.

Derek who was by her side stopped and looked over at her "What was that sweetheart?" he asked.

"Groceries" Penelope said a little louder and the rest of the team stopped to turn back and look at her. "Oh my god Derek, groceries…" Penelope hissed frantically as she grabbed his arm.

"What?" Derek asked confused "What about groceries?"

Penelope was shaking her head and her hands were clenched into fists where she stood.

"Baby," Derek said soothingly, and when that didn't get her attention he stepped forward and placed his hands on both of her shoulders, he looked her in the eye and said gently "What is it?"

"A few nights ago," Penelope began shakily, not taking her eyes away from Derek's "I needed to get groceries but it was late…or rather early. It was the same day that you guys finished off that case in Seattle and I had pulled an all-nighter. I desperately wanted to just get home and go to bed but I knew if I fell asleep I probably wouldn't wake up before the grocery store near my house closed. So I went to the store first, I was so tired that I was barely aware of anything around me, but I did keep getting this feeling that someone was following me."

Penelope stopped to take a deep breath, her legs felt shaky and she was glad Derek was there, standing so close to her.

The entire team was watching her, waiting for her to continue.

"After I had paid for my groceries I walked outside and walked right into someone, I dropped one of my bags and all of its continents rolled out onto the sidewalk. I was flustered and went to pick them up but then there was this guy, apologizing and helping me pick up the bag of groceries. Afterwards he smiled and asked me if I'd like some help carrying my things to my car. I said it was okay but he insisted and I was too tired to argue so I just agreed. He helped me get everything to my car and then he smiled and patted my shoulder, he wished me a good day and then he was gone. He matches my neighbor's description exactly; he was a bit taller than me, rather lanky with short blonde thinning hair, blue eyes and thick, brown glasses."

Penelope felt like hitting herself "I didn't even think of the description Mrs. Rookwood gave me, god I'm so stupid!"

Derek shook his head, shooting a glance at the rest of the team before pulling Penelope close to him and whispering "You're not stupid Baby Girl, don't say that."

"So he's made contact already" Rossi stated. Prentiss, Reid, Hotch, and J.J. looked at him; they all knew the case had just gotten even more serious that it already had been.


End file.
